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Study Links Hormonal Contraceptives to Gestational Diabetes
A recent study has found a link between the use of hormonal contraceptives and gestational diabetes (GDM). GDM occurs in some women, typically around the 24th. week of pregnancy. Most women who have GDM did not have diabetes before they conceived. If left untreated, GDM can be harmful to the baby, who can be born with breathing problems, jaundice or very low blood glucose levels. Other side effects include hypoglycemia and preeclampsia in the mother, and a much higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes for both mother and baby.
The study was done by researchers in Missouri, who used the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the organization that developed the system, PRAMS is “a surveillance project of the CDC and state health departments. PRAMS collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy.”
Study Shows Too Many C-Sections for Low-Risk Pregnancies
There is growing concern in the medical community of the number of Caesarian deliveries, (also referred to as C-sections), being performed on pregnant women in this country. According to statistics, one in three women has C-sections to deliver their first child. And of those women, 90 percent deliver their second child the same way. Thirty years ago, only five percent of babies were delivered by C-section.
A Caesarian delivery brings with it all the usual risks and complications associated with any surgery. There is also a higher rate of babies being admitted to the neonatal intensive care units with delivered by C-section. All this also adds up to higher medical costs, and more profit, for physicians and hospitals, compared with the cost of vaginal deliveries.
A recent study conducted by Consumer Reports ranks hospitals by the number of Caesarian sections performed there each year. The publication looked at the billing records of 1,500 hospitals in 22 states. They found that the number of C-sections varied greatly. This occurred even in hospitals that were in the same areas.
Even Minor Brain Injuries Leave Brain Damage
A recent study by Newcastle University reveals that even mild brain injuries can cause brain damage. Researchers compared 53 people with brain injuries – 44 had mild brain injuries and 9 had moderate injuries – to 33 people who had no brain injuries. Ages of the participants ranged from 16 to 68 years of age.
Each group of people was tested in thinking and memory skills. They also all received a diffusion tensor imaging scan, a more powerful scan than typical MRIs used to detect damage to brain cells. The participants who had been injured received their scans within six days of being injured.
People who had received even minor brain injuries scored 25 percent lower in the memory and thinking skills testing than people who had no brain injuries. Additionally, the scans of those with injuries revealed injuries to the parts of the brain matter that allows brain cells to transmit message to other brain cells.
Study Finds Spike in Marijuana’s Role in Fatal Crashes
According to a recent study by researchers at Columbia University, there has been a marked increase in the number of traffic fatalities that were caused by marijuana use in the past decade.
Researchers studied statistics from the half dozen states that consistently conduct toxicology tests on drivers (within one hour of the accident) involved in fatal vehicle crashes. Illinois is one state included in the study. Data from more than 23,500 crashes from the years 1999 to 2010 was compiled and analyzed.
The amount of marijuana contributed fatalities had tripled. In a statement, lead researcher Dr. Guohua Li said, “Currently, one of nine drivers involved in fatal crashes would test positive for marijuana. If this trend continues, in five or six years non-alcohol drugs will overtake alcohol to become the most common substance involved in deaths related to impaired driving.” The research team found that the percentage of traffic fatalities that were contributed to alcohol in that same time period was 40 percent.
Dangers of Leaving Children in Hot Vehicles
Summer has officially arrived and that means longer days and hotter temperatures. With those temperatures, comes the warning to parents and caregivers about the dangers of leaving children unattended – or allowing them access to – hot vehicles. Doing so can have tragic consequences.
The temperature in a closed car sitting in the sun can hit 40 to 50 degrees more than the temperature outside. For example, if it is 80 degrees outside, the temperature in a locked up car can reach 120 to 130 degrees very quickly. If you leave a child locked in a car, even for just a few minutes, it could be fatal.
Last year, 44 children died from heatstroke after being left in a locked car. This year, there have already been 13 deaths of children left in vehicles. Statistics provided by San Francisco University show that since 1998, 619 children’s lives have been lost to heatstroke suffered from being left unattended in a locked vehicle.
Safety Tips for Senior Drivers
According to statistics provided by the Federal Highway Administration, in 2012, there were about 23 million licensed drivers on the road who were 70 years and older. That number is approximately 11 percent of all licensed drivers.
It is estimated that by 2030, there will be almost 50 million vehicle drivers who are over 70 years of age. Insurance statistics show that claims for collision and property damage begin increasing when drivers are 65 years old or older. There is concern that because seniors tend to have a decrease in cognitive, visual and physical abilities, this could affect their driving. Routine driving, such as merging or changing lanes, can suddenly become stressful, causing a senior to panic or cause an accident.
The Mayo Clinic offers these safety tips for older drivers to help ensure safety behind the wheel:
Census Report Shows More People Bicycling to Work
A new report by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals there is an increase of people choosing non-motorized transportation to get to work every day. The data shows that more and more people are choosing bicycling or walking as their preferred mode of going to work. A bicyclist driving the same roads with vehicles can be put in dangerous situations when drivers do not respect the rules of sharing the road.
The report is based on data that is collected from the American Community Survey (ACS) between the years of 2008 to 2012. Approximately 3.5 million households received the survey. The survey was geared towards respondents who were 16 years or older and worked outside the home. Respondents were asked what their primary method of transportation to get to work was for the prior week.
How Safe are Extreme Obstacle Competitions?
More and more people are participating in extreme obstacle race competitions. Many of these events include climbing walls, ropes, obstacle courses, mud pits and long-distance running. It is an ever-growing industry that produces hundreds of millions of dollars for the companies that sponsor these events.
And as the popularity of these events increase, so do the reports of serious injuries and fatalities.
One company has had four at least four participants during competitions they have sponsored in the past three years. The most recent death occurred in April 2013 during a race in West Virginia when a 28 year-old man drowned during the “Walk the Plank” portion of the race. Participants are required to stand on a 15-foot platform and plunge into a 13 foot pool of freezing, muddy water. Then they have to swim forty feet to a cargo net and exit the pool.
OSHA Issues 2014 SST Plan
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, (OSHA) recently announced its yearly inspection plan, specifically targeting areas that have the highest rates of injury and illness occur in the workplace.
The 2014 Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program is based on results the agency conducted in 2012 of companies in industries which are in high-hazard industries surveyed over 80,000 companies. In the appendix of the plan, OSHA lists descriptions of the industries of the companies they surveyed, which included air transportation, automobiles, construction materials, courier services, department stores, groceries, manufacturing, medical facilities, poultry products, scrap and waste, trucking and warehousing.
The results were then used to come up with the plan, which is geared for companies in non-hazard industries which have 20 or more employees.
Included in the plan is a checklist to be used by compliance safety officers. This checklist should help the officers with inspection and scheduling procedures.
New Report Unfavorable for Commercial Carrier Watchdog
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